Differential immunological phenotypes are exhibited after scald and flame burns

Shock. 2009 Feb;31(2):157-63. doi: 10.1097/SHK.0b013e31817fbf4d.

Abstract

A dysfunctional immune system is known to be part of the pathophysiology after burn trauma. However, reports that support this have used a variety of methods, with numerous variables, to induce thermal injury. We hypothesized that, all other parameters being equal, an injury infliction by a scald would yield different immunological responses than one inflicted by a flame. Here, we demonstrated that both burn methods produced a full-thickness burn, yet there was more of an increase in subdermal temperature, hematocrit, mortality, and serum IL-6 concentrations associated with the scald burn. On postinjury day 1, the scald-burned mice showed diminished lymphocyte numbers, interferon gamma production, and lymphocyte T-bet expression as compared with sham- and flame-burned mice. On postburn day 8, spleens from both sets of thermally injured animals showed an increase in proinflammatory myeloid cells as compared with sham-burned mice. Furthermore, the T-cell numbers, T-bet expression, and phenotype were changed such that interferon gamma production was higher in scald-burned mice than in sham- and flame-burned mice. Altogether, the data show that differential immunological phenotypes were observed depending on the thermal injury method used.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Burns / immunology*
  • Burns / therapy*
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Hematocrit
  • Inflammation
  • Interferon-gamma / metabolism
  • Interleukin-6 / blood
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Phenotype
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / metabolism
  • T-Box Domain Proteins / biosynthesis*
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Interleukin-6
  • T-Box Domain Proteins
  • T-box transcription factor TBX21
  • Interferon-gamma